The present invention relates to mineral mining installations.
It is known to construct a mineral mining installation from a scraper-chain conveyor which has a guide which slidably supports a winning or loading machine such as a plough. The machine is driven back and forth along the guide and along a mineral, e.g. coal, face by a chain mounted at the mineral face side of the conveyor. Installations are also known in which a second machine or plough is also driven along the conveyor with the aid of a second chain arranged at the stowage or goaf side of the conveyor. Such an installation is described in German Patent Specification No. 2,439,259 and here the second plough is connected to the second chain with the aid of a sword plate projecting beneath the conveyor. Both ploughs attack the face or seam over the same height region and since the ploughs travel along the same path they cannot pass one another. There is thus always the possibility that the ploughs will collide with one another. It is also known however, from German Patent Specification No. 1,208,269 to provide two ploughs which operate over different height regions of the face. The ploughs are driven respectively, by chains on the face and goaf sides of the conveyor and can pass one another to work the entire length of the face.
With regard to the foregoing a general object of this invention is to provide an improved installation.